Bored with massive films and special effects? Then here are 10 smaller movies well worth your consideration...

It's that time of year when we usually give you a list of films playing in cinemas during August, as the summer blockbuster season winds down, that will help cleanse your palate after all the tentpoles and sequels that have proliferated throughout the year so far. But to be honest, this summer has been so good to us, we're more refreshed than usual.

A trailer for the new Lionsgate film, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, dropped. The film stars Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds in the title roles, with Jackson being the hitman and Reynolds being his completely unnecessary bodyguard, executive protection agent, Michael Bryce. Jackson plays Darius Kincaid, a hitman who is a key witness set to testify at a very important trial. Reynolds plays the man charged with the duty of protecting Kincaid, although it quickly becomes clear that Kincaid is quite adept at protecting himself.

Reynolds’ character, seems to be a by the book kind of agent, but that doesn’t mean he is without the usual sarcasm he brings to most of his characters. Jackson’s Kincaid is, according to his wife, “unkilliable,” and that just may turn out to be true as in the trailer we see him jump from a great height, bounce off a nearby building
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There’s no question that – despite the timeless Marvel vs. DC debate (or perhaps because of it?) – superhero cinema is here to stay for a long time. The recent releases of such critically acclaimed efforts as Logan and this week’s Wonder Woman, however, underscore the genre’s need to explore some fresh approaches to comic book storytelling, lest the million think pieces heralding the cinematic fall of superheroes come to fruition. So, while adults looking to satisfy their bloodlust can see Hugh Jackman shredding off limbs in the aforementioned latest X-Men film, children can root for a decidedly less self-serious hero in Dreamworks’ latest release, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.

Based on the 12-book series by author Dav Pilkey, the film follows elementary school students George (Kevin Hart) and Harold (Thomas Middleditch), who stumble upon the perfect way to keep their school’s notorious Principal Krupp (Ed Helms
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Two overly imaginative pranksters named George and Harold, hypnotize their principal into thinking he’s a ridiculously enthusiastic, incredibly dimwitted superhero named Captain Underpants.

As superhero films shift more in the direction of mature themes (even the PG-13 offerings are starting to push the envelope), a specifically child-friendly hopeful franchise starter such as Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is an appreciated gift. Based on the series of novels by Dav Pilkey, directed by David Soren (Turbo), and notably written by Nicholas Stoller (most known for critically acclaimed R-rated comedic efforts such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, also having successfully proven himself at adapting material for younger ones by writing both The Muppets Movies), the animated feature expectedly embraces lowbrow toilet humor,
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Reader, beware! You’re in for (another) scare. Sony is officially pushing on with its Goosebumps sequel, which will now release under the title Goosebumps: Horrorland on September 21st, 2018.

After engineering a bona fide sleeper hit two years ago, Rob Letterman is back in the director’s chair for Horrorland, and will be working from a script penned by the returning Darren Lemke (Turbo). Story-wise, we understand that Sony has earmarked two of R.L. Stine’s horror novels for creative inspiration: One Day at Horrorland and 2000’s Return to Horrorland. Completing the creative reunion – behind the lens, at least – it’s also worth noting that Deborah Forte and Neal H. Moritz are back, back, back for another round of supernatural thrills and spills.

In front of the camera, it’s a different story. Although Sony has settled on an official title for Goosebumps 2, along with the reveal of
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Michael Crichton was quite the prolific writer before his death nearly a decade ago in 2008. His influence on Hollywood looms large, authoring the novels Jurassic Park and The Lost World, upon which the Steven Spielberg built a franchise, in addition to writing and directing the original 1973 film Westworld, which laid the groundwork for the hit HBO show of the same name. The man has a reputation for putting humans in perilous situations with non-human entities, and his final novel Mirco is no different.

Mirco is another thriller, focusing on a team of graduate students who are lured to Hawaii to work for a mysterious biotech company. That is, until they are miniaturized and released into the rain forest with nothing but their scientific know-how and wits to survive. Hmmm... humans go to a tropical locale and have to face giant monsters? And it is all intended to build a new franchise?
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Amblin’s predecessor DreamWorks acquired the film rights in 2015 to “Micro” with Frank Marshall attached to produce. The story follows a group of graduate students lured to Hawaii to work for a mysterious biotech company, only to find themselves miniaturized and cast out into the rainforest with nothing but their scientific expertise and wits to protect them.

Throughout the years I have seen a lot of my favorite books as a child be transformed into either live or animated film adaptation which has been fun to see. Some that come to mind as I write this is Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and Holes. This year DreamWorks Animation is bringing yet another one of these children's series to life, the mighty Captain Underpants.

The Adventures of Captain Underpants was written by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. The series is so popular it has sold over 70 million books worldwide. The story follow two kids George and Harold who hypnotize their mean principle Mr. Krupp. This accidentally turns him into their homemade comic book hero Captain Underpants, he later gains superpowers. The series concluded in 2015 with it's twelfth book and will soon come big screens everywhere this summer.

DreamWorks Animation has a pair of movies out this year, with The Boss Baby heading into cinemas in two weeks’ time. Ahead of the release of that, the studio has released the trailer for its next project, the first big screen adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s hugely successful Captain Underpants novels.

The film follows George and Harold (voiced by Hart and Thomas Middleditch), two very mischievous boys, who love to play pranks on everybody at school. When their mean elementary school principal (voiced by Helms) threatens to place them in different classes, the boys hypnotize him and turn him into their comic book creation, Captain Underpants. But far from being a real superhero, he becomes their biggest problem.

Due to screen in front of Lionsgate’s Power Rangers movie this coming weekend – for those in the States and Canada, at least – we now have our first look at David Soren’s (Turbo) animated pic in action. Hatched as a collaboration between DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox, Captain Underpants plucks Dav Pilkey’s wonderfully wacky cast of characters and catapults them onto the big screen in style.

Lights Out director David F Sandberg is being considered to direct the Shazam movie.

The Shazam movie has seeminglybeen in development forever, but this is the first we've actually heard of director talk. For it's been revealed that Lights Out director David F. Sandberg is in "early talks" to helm the movie.

The long in development Shazam movie is at Warner Bros' New Line Pictures, but it will firmly be a part of the DC Extended Universe of films. DC seems to be taking a cue from Marvel here by choosing a director primarily known for well regarded horror efforts to take on a more magical based character (Marvel took the same approach by getting Scott Derrickson to direct Doctor Strange). Lights Out was good
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It’s surreal to know we’re getting a Captain Underpants movie later this year. At least, it is for me. As a child who once obsessed over Dav Pilkey’s gleefully juvenile book series, it swells my old(er) heart to know we’re finally going to see these wacky, zany characters make their way onto the screen. While we’re heard little about the project thus far, DreamWorks Animation will soon ring out their promotional bandwagon, starting with today’s first poster, which might remind you of another superhero, one who’ll also get his own animated movie later this month.

Captain Underpants will have Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch provide the voices of George Beard and Harold Hutchins, respectively, two fourth-graders whose notorious pranks and naughty self-made comic books often get them in trouble with their principal, Mr. Krupp (voiced by Ed Helms). But they pull off their biggest,
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Sony Pictures have announced a release date for a sequel to their 2015 adaptation of the Goosebumps book series. The next film will release Stateside on January 26th, 2018 – in just over a year’s time.

There are a lot of movies to look forward to in 2017, and while it may not be the most anticipated, Power Rangers is certainly on a lot of people's lists. It is a property that has been ripe for a new take and that time is now. It will be a bit more gritty and grounded than the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series was, but maybe not as gritty as some might have hoped. We now know that the movie has been rated PG-13.

The fan site Power Rangers Now has confirmed that the MPAA has rated Lionsgate's upcoming Power Rangers reboot at PG-13, which was confirmed at the CES expo in Las Vegas. There was some hope that maybe this new take on the Power Rangers would push the envelope a bit more and perhaps wind up being R-rated, but Lionsgate is clearly going for something a bit more family friendly.
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